Where are the dandelions? For the past six weeks I’ve been impatiently expecting to look out my window and see that honey-gold haze of blooms nestled in the bright green grass of spring. I’m still waiting. My little sapphire-blue glass vase sits empty in the cabinet by the kitchen sink. It once displayed those hand-picked bouquets of dandelions and violets that my young children proudly brought me before the first passes of the lawnmower around the end of April. It’s been many years since my own children brought those offerings, and much too long since a grandchild followed up on the practice. I’ve been known to pick a few of those fluffy yellow pompoms myself. They look absolutely stunning against the rich blue of that little vase. In years past I took them for granted and didn’t realize how much I would miss them if they should ever fail to bloom.
I don’t know why there are practically no dandelions this year. I’ve speculated that the lack of snow cover during some of the coldest days last winter may have caused the roots to be killed off, but that doesn’t explain why all those tiny seeds that were blown about by the breezes have failed to germinate. Is there something more ominous going on here? Did we have an unfortunate lack of pollinators last summer when the plants were blooming? Is this affecting other plants that depend on insects to assure the next generation of blossoms that eventually turn into fruits and vegetables, berries and nuts? And what about the birds and other creatures that depend on those seeds for food?
Many summer mornings I’ve watched goldfinches raiding my lawn for those rich little seeds. Even though I know those bright birds rely on thistles for their existence, I am also aware that there aren’t nearly as many thistles in fields and ditches as there once were and goldfinches and other small birds must find other sources of nourishment. Goldfinch babies hatch late and must grow up fast so that they are ready to migrate in autumn. They need those extra-rich seeds to mature in such a short time.
One of the most charming sights I’ve seen since living here in the country was four little puffballs – baby goldfinches – lined up on my deck railing near the bird feeder while their parents busily fed them seeds from my bird-feeder. I didn’t think, at the time, that that was a sign of a seed shortage out in the meadow where their nest was. It was surely an act of desperation by the bird parents and it must have been a tedious and risky chore getting those tiny little birds (not yet having flight feathers) all the way onto the railing of the deck where they could be fed more quickly than by the tedious process of carrying the seeds all the way from the feeder to wherever the nest was located. Since that time, there have been fewer and fewer goldfinches, house finches and other small birds; no doubt because of the lack of necessary small, rich seeds.
I don’t know if goldfinches are native to Iowa or not. If so, then thistles or similar plants must have been available also. I do know that dandelions are not native to Iowa or even to North America.
They were brought here by immigrants who brought, from their homelands, seeds of some of the plants they were accustomed to. Not knowing what native plants they would find in this new land, they wanted to assure themselves of at least some of the familiar foods of their homelands. Seeds brought over on the Mayflower soon produced sufficient plants to share with native Americans who quickly incorporated the plant into, not only foods, but medicines that are still used today. All parts of the plant are safe to eat and can be prepared in a variety of ways. The early buds of the flowers are sweet and tasty and can be eaten raw, pickled, and added to soups and salads. To enjoy the leaves (which are better sources of vitamin A than any traditional garden greens) they should be picked while young and small, as they grow bitter as they mature. Dandelion leaves make delicious and nutritious salads and can also be cooked and served as a hot vegetable. You can Google dandelions for ways to cook and preserve them – and hope this year’s dandelion shortage is merely temporary.
Has that ‘silent spring’ arrived?
July 5, 2023